Japanese Kamikaze
By 1945, the Japanese realized that their Navy, while powerful, wasn't good enough to beat the U.S. Aware that they were losing the war; they started looking for a way to turn the tide. They noticed that when a plane accidentally crashed into a ship it caused much more damage then a bunch of planes using machine guns. It was decided that they could use that knowledge to load planes with heavy explosives and purposely drive them into the U.S. Carriers and Battleships. Remembering how a major typhoon, later named kamikaze or Divine wind, saved their country from attack by the Mongols years ago, they revived the term and used it for the suicide missions.
Japan followed the Shinto religion at the time, Shinto is "an amorphous mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism." It teaches devotion to deities of nature, and the Emperor is pictured as the descendant of the Sun goddess causing him to be worshiped like a living god. The Japanese follow of code of honor, devotion and obedience, therefore when their Emperor asks for men willing to die for him, thousands volunteered. Volunteered! The men were not drafted, though to be sure some were, most willingly signed up to die for their country and Emperor. Do not mistakenly say that the Muslim suicide bombers do the same; they do it for spiritual rewards, or because of depression, not pure love of country or leader.
Not wanting to waste trained expert pilots, the Japanese took raw recruits and gave them about thirty days or more of rough flight training. They had to learn how to fly the light planes carrying 200 pounds logs meant simulate bombs weighing over 500 pounds. They were taught two approaches, one high and one very low. The high one made it harder for enemy fighters to target and destroy the kamikazes. The very low approach allowed the planes to avoid detection by radar. However, low flying planes vulnerable to crashing planes and exploding shells around the ships. The pilots were not even allowed to close their eyes when they crashed, because that could result in missing the ship, hitting the water and dieing without harming the enemy. Japanese officers complained that this would waste lives and bombs needlessly. The planes they used, the Nakajima Ki-27, were obsolete in 1945; top speed was 292 mph with a range of 1,060. Normally the aircraft was armed with two machine-guns and could carry 220 pounds worth of bombs. For the kamikazes the machine guns were removed, they were only given enough fuel to find the enemy fleet and crash, and the kamikazes carried almost twice as much bomb power than normal. They quickly became highly effective, sinking 17 U.S. ships and damage 50 by early 1945.
It seems weird that a culture driven and held together by honor would use suicide bombers to fight a war. Yet they do seem to follow their code of honor, they did not attack civilians, only military targets, nor did they needless waste their pilots but trained them appropriately for their missions. Also the Japanese did not hate us, not really. They resented us, our power, riches, and advantages, but they also respected us. The Japanese Admirals in charge were desperate realizing they were losing; yet refusing to surrender since it went against their code of honor. Having no other choice they decided sacrificing thousands of their countrymen in a last bid to crush the U.S. navy instead of giving up was more the honorable path. As "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18), their "honorable" decisions led to the destruction of the nation. Even after atomic destruction some wanted to go against the Emperor and honorably fight to the last Japanese.
Islamic Suicide Bombers
First of all, suicide bombers act on a much smaller scale then the Japanese kamikazes did. Like the kamikazes who were government funded, the families of Islamic suicide bombers are also paid. The Iraqi government paid $20,000 US to the family of the dead terrorist. Although religious nationalism and paradise is at the heart of the decision to blow themselves up, the monetary incentive cause no regret because money is promised for their families after they die. Not a bad life insurance plan, especially since most are dirt poor and get paid a lot of money. Some people even get there lives upgraded, spending a year in luxury before executing their mission and dying. The Islamic people who become terrorists (suicide bombers) are generally poor uneducated people. This means religious fanatic clerics or leaders can gather these young gullible people who are hungry for direction, to themselves and teach them to hate non-muslims. Now since these are generally small groups or "cells" so they obviously don't have the resources to wage open war. So they have someone strap some C-4 to their bodies then run into a shop or bus and blow them selves up. They feel this is more effective for many reasons; it defiantly casts a lot of terror, and it calls enough attention to them that the bigger countries cannot ignore them. Also because the terrorists are so spread out and act and communicate in small groups it is very hard to target and eliminate them.
Islam plays a major part in influencing the suicide bombers. Though, the holy book of Islam, the Koran, is very conflicting on these grounds. For example chapter 5:82 in the Koran says "you will certainly find the nearest in friendship to those who believe (to be) those who say: We are Christians." So Muhammad is saying right there to trust and befriend Christians. Yet! In that same chapter an earlier verse 51 says "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people." The conflicting inaccuracies of the Koran allow for the private interpretation to read into it whatever one desires. That means people who follow the Koran can pretty much do what they want and claim it was commanded by Allah. The poor, young, and often hungry people who become suicide bombers grow up knowing nothing but what they are told, they can't afford a TV, and probably can't read much either. Children are taught in the official grade school curriculum of Palestine that Israel doesn't have the right to exist on a map. Having the support of public education, terrorist leaders find it easy to turn children into suicide bombers with a love Allah and hatred for the infidels, generally Americans and their allies. The Koran says in verse 4:74 that those who fight for Allah will go to paradise. "Therefore let those fight in the way of Allah, who sell this world's life for the hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of Allah, then be he slain or be he victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward." Not only do these potential suicide bombers who can't find any real meaning for their lives, love Allah and hate infidels, but now believe they if they fight they will go to a glorious paradise to have their own harem of 72 black eyed virgins.
There are many small, secret camps in the Middle East where terrorist leaders train their recruits. With minimal instruction and maximum brainwashing (that began in elementary school), they are taught to get past security, what targets are most effective to hit, how to use the explosives, and anything else that may be relevant to the mission. The tactics they use have blown up shops, restaurants, busses, and well as the two tallest buildings in the world. The daily terror plus the occasional high profile targets let us know that no place or person is completely safe.
The Islamic terrorists are without honor in our eyes, attacking civilians in peacetime with unconventional tactics without warning. Yet in the eyes of the terrorists, they are honorable. Except there are many Muslim people who strongly disagree with the terrorists and suicide bombers. What is honorable versus what is un-honorable is almost always a matter of perspective since we are all flawed beings.
Suicide bombing is part of a much bigger category called Unconventional Warfare. Unconventional warfare is where a country, army, or groups uses tactics in war that have not been seen before. Examples would be Hannibal using elephants against the Romans, the British using the smallpox against Indians, and Japanese kamikazes purposely crashing into American ships. Desperation is generally what starts this, forces that have no chance in a real battle like the Mongols, Palestinians, and Japanese navy find a way to turn their disadvantages into advantages using the resources they have at hand. No-matter how much we know or think we know of warfare, someone someday will think of new unconventional tactics to use.
The terror from kamikaze pilots and Islamic suicide bombers are the result of becoming a slave to religious based deceptions. Only the Prince of Peace, Jesus, can set one free for "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36) as "perfect love casts out all fear" (1 John 4:18). Just like a cultural outsider cannot understand kamikaze pilots and Islamic suicide bombers, so to a non-Christian cannot understand the "peace which passes understanding" (Phil. 4:7) that allows Christians to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4). One terrorist leader told the truth when he proclaimed the happiest day of his life would be when he would die as a martyr, for thereafter he will suffer "great wailing and gnashing of teeth" in an everlasting lake of fire (Revelation 20). God is just. Terrorists lose eternally.
Quick Quiz:
1. What country crashed their planes into American ships on purpose? B
a. Germany
b. Japan
c. China
d. Aztecs
2. What religion did most Japanese follow? C
a. Christen
b. Buddhism
c. Shinto
d. Muslim
3. Suicide bombers usually target ____. C
a. Military
b. Monkeys
c. Civilians
d. Aliens
4. True or False, All Muslims hate Americans and support the suicide bombers. B
a. True
b. False
